Cornel West's shirts

[Ianiceman]

He's always an entertaining speaker but I've been trying to work out for ages what's going on with his shirts. He has a trademark black suit, white shirt, black tie look but there is always some kind of black halo around his neck but due to his bushy beard I cannot work out what it is. Does he wear a turtleneck underneath? Do all his shirts have a black collar? Does he wear an Elizabethan ruff? Does us just have really rancid ring-around-the-collar?
Can anyone she any light on this?

 

[w.o.e.is.me.]

Prepidemic/Men of habit did an interview with him a few months ago.
In it, he discloses that he only owns a few suits, that he has had for decades.

this might explain his somewhat disheveled look.

 

[YoungAmerican]

A picture helps. It looks like some kind of scarf. You're right - it can be seen in a lot of pics.

 

[w.o.e.is.me.]

Vampire perhaps?

 

[jrd617]

Needs to make use of his Princeton dental plan. He's a tenured professor!